Conspiracy

"Something I pulled out of the mothballs with a help from a few old friends." Fury observed, standing triumphantly again at the head of a helicarrier.

"Fury, you son-of-a-bitch."

"Whoh-hoh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fury raised his eyebrows in mock shock.

"This is SHIELD?" They heard the twin ask.

"This is what SHIELD was meant to be." Captain responded.

"Sir?" One of the technicians turned in his chair. "I've been meaning to ask... IS this SHIELD?"

"Dude." A curly-haired technician glanced up from his computer. "They disbanded SHIELD. It was a whole thing. I was there."

"I know that." The first technician glared back. "But... I mean, Fury's here, we've got the helicarrier, my recruiter was a suit with sunglasses..."

"No one's going to trust the Nazi organization that held a gun to everyone's heads, man." The second technician said.

"Yeah? So who got this thing in the air? Not Stark, I'll tell you that much."

"What would you even..."

"You're working for the Avengers, and you're working to save the world." Fury's clear voice cut through the argument. "What more do you really need to know?"

"Impressive, isn't it sir?" Billy Koenig beamed with pride.

Coulson managed a nod.

They were standing at the furthest end of a massive room, roughly the size of a football stadium. Not the field, the stadium. Crates, tanks, and various tarpaulin-covered objects of varying sizes were stacked everywhere. But all that was forgotten by the looming object

"The Attic was originally built to house the Aegis." Koenig said, as the director stared up at the old Helicarrier. "Over the years, all surplus equipment too classified to hand off to other departments has been sent here to be 'mothballed.' Every so often Fury would dust one off and pull it back into service. Like the Bus, for instance."

"Really?" Coulson looked at him with interest. "Any other Bus's? Or even Quinjets?"

"No." Koenig gave a shake of his head. His grin widened and he pointed again to the helicarrier. "But who needs Quinjets when you have..."

"Billy." Coulson looked at his assistant. "We don't have enough people for all the seats on that boat."

Koenig's face fell. "But..."

"Even if we could somehow get it flying again..." Coulson shrugged. "...it'd just be a big floating target."

Koenig gave a long sigh. "Then… what did you want to see it for?"

"An idea." Coulson mused. "Just… an idea."

"Report."

"The meeting was going fairly well, the warlords were more or less getting along, and we'd established a certain level of credibility." Tripp, bloodied and with one arm in a sling, answered. "They confirmed Ulysses Klau to be their supplier, and reacted predictably when we informed them that he was also supplying the Zambian government."

"Any word on whether Hydra's involved?"

Tripp shook his head. "None of the warlords were able to give us anything on that, sir."

Coulson looked at May, who tilted her head. "Hard to say. Klau's known for this sort of thing, but it would certainly suit Hydra for a Wakandian border state to descend into chaos."

"In much the same way as it would suit us for the current government to remain in power." Coulson mused. "Did any take the modified equipment?"

"They liked the rocket launchers, but the rest..." Tripp shrugged. "Fortunately our inside man managed to convince them that generators would build a more secure and comfortable home base."

"And provide us with GPS and audio/visual surveillence." Coulson grinned. "Good for Agent Adour. Then what?"

Tripp winced. "Then the helicopters crested over the ridge."

May closed her eyes.

"The warlords panicked, weapons came out, rocket launchers were aimed..." Tripp sighed. "I dropped a freeze-grenade and pulled my men out, Adour included. I figured they were likely to take it out on the person who arranged the meet."

"Good call." Coulson nodded. "And the interlopers? Who were they?"

"Two Apache gunships, two Cougars. Red-and-gold copters, big 'S' symbol emblazoned on the side." Tripp grimaced.

"Stark."

"Got it in one, sir." Tripp nodded. "Last I saw, they were Delta-forcing it up at the meet site, poking M-16's into every bush and arresting every single warlord who trusted us enough to come."

Coulson sighed.

"Obviously, this is going to cause major restructuring in our plans for the Zambian region..." May said.

"...and the Wakandan Watch project." Coulson nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Three months of work down the drain. Yes, I know." He shook his head to clear it. "Thank you, Agent Tripp."

Tripp left and May stepped forward handing Coulson a tablet. "That's not all. Here's Skye's report on the trojan virus we got hit with."

Coulson scrolled through the tablet. "The dumped SHIELD data?" He looked up. "Is she sure the trojan came from there? We've been copying the old roster information for weeks and never had a problem."

"That's the point." May nodded. "These trojans were added to the data as 'new' reveals from a SHIELD insider. Skye thinks it was supposed to shut off our systems and give away our location?"

"To who?"

May shrugged. "The CIA's taken down five different domestic watchdog groups this week, but..."

"...but..." Coulson said.

"...but this is too smart for the CIA." May said. "It's Stark."

"It's Hill." Coulson corrected. "Our tech people would never have even caught one of Stark's trojans."

"It's still Stark Securities." May said. "They have a contract with the CIA—providing men and resources on a consulting basis. There are talks in place for similar contracts with the Army, Navy, and Air Force—and not just in America."

"He's like the new Blackwater." Coulson mused.

"There's more." Picking up the remote to the command center's large monitor, May clicked an image onscreen. " Stark Securities suddenly 'acquired' a new facility out on an island in the Pacific."

Coulson studied the map. "Dharma Base." He said, after a few moment's thought. "Didn't think Hill knew about that one." He looked at May. "They get anything?"

May shook her head. "Koenig said the facility had undergone thorough cleaning protocols during the first sweep. There was no one and no equipment there."

"Good."

"Sir, with all due respect, no, it's not good." May's gaze hardened. "We're on the end of our rope here, all we have is the bases and stockpiles that Fury managed to keep to himself. We have a limited number of holes to run into, and Hill just stopped up another one of them."

"Hill's one of us." Coulson said. "She's not going to..."

"No, she's one of Stark's." May stressed. "Hill, at her core, is a pragmatist. She's not the company man you are, Phil. She believes in doing her job, and doing it well."

"And what exactly is that job?"

"Becoming the only protector on the market." May answered. "Stark doesn't believe in competition, and Hill doesn't believe in a 'balance of powers.' Neither of them has much room for people like us."

Coulson nodded. "So you think they're planning a hostile takeover of start-ups."

May looked at him.

"See, because they're corporate..." Coulson sighed. "Never mind. All right. So Hill wants to take our little rogue SHIELD off the map. We can't very well fight Stark, we'll just have to convince her not to chase us. Thoughts?"

"Go dark." May answered. "Completely dark. No missions, no communications, nothing. Hill doesn't forget, but if we disappear for a while, she may not see us as a problem."

"It's a bad time for us to disappear." Coulson shook his head.

May grimaced. "Then whatever operations we do conduct need to be ghost-quiet, and as far away from Stark as can be managed. Above all, we cannot draw attention to ourselves, and we should absolutely not remind Hill that we exist."

"Agreed." Coulson gave a firm nod.

"Hey Hill!" Coulson smiled at the oversized monitor. "Just thought I'd remind you that I exist!"

"I've got a good memory, Phil." Hill answered. "What I don't have is time for your nonsense. Sending this from another deserted base?"

"The Treehouse." Coulson said. "Ever heard of it?"

"I have now. Thank you for limiting the field to forested regions." Hill's fingers clicked on her computer. "Any particular reason you're calling? Another message to pass on?"

"Not really. Haven't had much contact with Strucker or his cronies lately."

There was a slight pause. "...A bit disappointing, Phil. I'd expect you to be more proactive than that. Do you even know who Strucker is?"

"I know he's obscure German nobility, descended from a member of Hitler's inner circle, educated at all the finest schools in Europe." Coulson shrugged. "I also know now that up till five seconds ago, you'd never heard of him before."

"I never said you weren't good at your job, Phil..."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you said. Just now. Five seconds ago."

"... I just meant to imply that you'd be able to do it much better working with Stark."

"I have worked with Stark." Coulson answered. "Before. Never got a lot done."

Hill gave an uncharacteristic snort and just the tiniest roll of her eyes.

"Anyway, I found out about Strucker without Stark, which is more than you seem to have done WITH him." Coulson said. "Also, weird thing—Dharma base? The sensors we left behind were triggered nearly two hours after we broke contact." Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly the most efficient work I've seen. You're not that sloppy, Maria."

Hill looked mildly annoyed. "Only when I'm working with fresh material. You're right, I could really use more skilled agents."

"Like me, I suppose."

"And May, and Tripp." Hill arched an eyebrow. "How about it? I could probably even find a place for that hacker you've got under your wing. I bet she and Fitzsimmons would love working at Stark Industries."

"If they would, none of them have mentioned it to me."Coulson shrugged. Koenig, seated at the computer, pointed frantically at his watch. Coulson pretended not to notice. "That brings to mind the other odd thing about the sensors feedback," he said. "They only registered one visitor."

Hill didn't say anything.

"Gotta go, Hill." Coulson waved. "Enjoy the Treehouse. I think Fury intended it as an bio-weapons testing facility. Remind me, next time we talk—there's a helicarrier I think you might be interested in."

He signaled to Koenig, and the technician cut the feed. "All right." Koenig said, holding up his lanyard to the computer. "Sidetracking her to forest regions like that was a good idea, but we still need to hurry." The screen turned blue, and all the lights went dark. "It's a little TOO easy to blockade two car-bound men in Devil's Tower National Monument."

"We really need to get airborne again." Coulson said, already striding toward the door.

"Sir..." said Koenig, as they stepped into the elevator. "May's memo specified that all agents were to avoid contact with Stark. Or Hill."

"Blew that already by telling her about the twins." Coulson gave a rueful smile. "Might as well keep on going."

"Got a plan, sir?"

"Sort of." Coulson gave a half-nod.

"Why did you mention the helicarrier?"

The elevator landed and the doors opened with a ding. "To give her something to think about." Coulson said, stepping out.

"Agent Isabelle Hartley, reporting for duty, sir."

"Izzie!" Coulson got up and came around his desk. He folded the woman in a hug. "And Bobbi!"

"Hey Coulson." Bobbi Morse stood a few feet away, arms crossed but smiling warmly.

"I can't tell you how happy I was to get your message." Coulson said, releasing Hartley and clasping Bobbi's hand warmly. "I was afraid you might have gone down."

"Or gone over." May noted, from her watchful corner.

"C'mon, May." Bobbi smirked at the woman. "Us?"

May shrugged. "We've had some surprises."

The room sobered immediately. Bobbi and Hartley exchanged glances. Tripp and Skye, also standing by the desk, looked down.

"Surprises like that make the reliable things in life all the better." Coulson said. "Like you two, and this Mike... Matt?"

"Mac." Hartley smiled warmly, coming out of whatever memories she was wound up in. "Engineering division. Very skilled."

"Thank god." Skye let out a sigh. "Stark's grabbing up engineers like hotcakes."

"Stark's grabbing up everything." Hartley grimaced. "Hill's one mean head-hunter. She made me an offer, actually."

"Really?" Coulson glanced up. "How much?"

"Not enough to pass you up." Hartley smiled.

Coulson smiled back and clasped her hand again. "It means a lot to have you both back. It really does." He said. "Agent Koenig..." he gestured to the rotund technician, standing at the door, "...will show you around the base, get you settled."

"Good to be back, sir." Hartley and Morse gave Coulson a quick salute and marched off.

Coulson sat back down at his desk. "You're going to love those two." He assured Skye and Tripp. "Top-notch agents, both of them. Tripp, I'm putting them on the Wakandan Watch program with you."

"Don't think that's going to make much difference, sir." Tripp shook his head. "Stark looks like he's setting up shop down there."

"This is satellite footage of Lusaka, Zambia." Skye handed Coulson a tablet. "As you can see, it looks like they're clearing space for something big."

"Another one of Stark's ego-monuments?" Coulson asked, glancing over the tablet.

"Okay, to be fair, sir?" Skye said. "The Stark Towers are a lot more useful than most ego-monuments. Avengers Tower supplies half of New York with clean energy. Potts Tower in San Francisco does the same thing. Coulson Tower in..."

"Wait, what?" Coulson said.

Skye stopped and looked at him. "You seriously didn't know about the tower dedicated to you?"

"Don't you ever google yourself, sir?" Tripp eyed his boss.

"Never really saw the point." Coulson shrugged. "There's a lot 'Phil Coulson's' in the world." He frowned. "Not sure how I feel about my name being plastered on a power plant."

"If it makes you feel better, sir, they also serve as hubs for Stark Security forces." Tripp said. "Arsenals, barracks, vehicle hubs, helicopter pads..."

"That's a bit better." Coulson nodded. Then he frowned. "And... also something of a problem, given this new one's location

"Yep." Skye nodded. "Lusaka is Zambia's biggest city, but also, of course, it's a major trading hub for Wakanda. In exchange for the clean, cheap energy it'll be providing the region, 'Fury Tower' is going to allow Stark to keep his own eye on the place."

"And, of course, with a base like that in the region, the second they get wind of us doing anything?" Tripp arched his eyebrows. "You know they gonna bring down the hammer."

"Thor has the hammer. Stark shoots lasers" Skye smirked.

"That's not good." Coulson was frowning at the tablet. "But... that's not bad, either." He looked up. "If we can't do anything there, Hydra probably can't either."

"Sir." May spoke up. "We need to keep in mind the possibility that Stark himself may need to be kept in check."

Coulson nodded, but he looked confident. "I think we can count on Hill to do that."

"Hill isn't..." May stopped and looked away.

Coulson studied her. He turned to Tripp and Skye, who were both watching with puzzled expressions. "Would you two... step outside for a bit?" He asked. "Like, a couple steps. Down the hall, not just outside the door."

"Yes sir." Tripp said.

"Seriously?" Skye looked at him.

"Mom and Dad need to talk, girl." Tripp grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. The door closed behind the two agents and Coulson turned to look at May.

"There's something you're not telling me." He said. "What is it?

May bit her lip and then dropped a paper on his desk. Coulson's smiling face looked up from a sheet marked with vital statistics and a 'WANTED' banner emblazoned underneath.

"Hill put you on their bounty list." She said, as Coulson picked up the poster. "Ten million dollars to whoever can bring you in alive."

"Ten million?" Coulson glanced up at her. "Huh." He dropped the paper and sat back into his chair, considering. "Seems like I should really be worth more."

May closed her eyes. "Phil..."

"I know." Coulson looked up at her. "The fact that Hill is doing this—" he tapped the poster, "—right under her boss's very inquisitive nose means that she's starting to take this personally."

"Which is a problem." May shook her head. "Hill never starts any job that she doesn't finish."

"Okay, so we let her do that." Coulson shrugged. "Suppose we used that trojan to lead her to a mock-SHIELD..."

"She knows the False-Front gambit, Phil." May pointed out. "More importantly, she knows everyone on your team. We can't feed her a fake-Coulson."

Coulson sighed. "I really wish Fury hadn't axed that Life-Model-Decoy project."

"Even if he hadn't, Hill would know about it. Hill knows all our tricks." May said. "She's not going to fall for the Tragic End Performance, the Doppleganger Corollary, or the Parasite protocol."

A silence hung over the office. Then May spoke again.

"But Stark might."

"You don't have a helicarrier."

"I certainly do."

"It can only be the Aegis, and the Aegis doesn't count." Hill cocked her chin. "It was only ever a prototype, and it was gutted for parts to make the Cloud."

"It's still a helicarrier." Coulson shrugged.

"Taking up space at the Attic."

"Which you don't know about."

"And it's unusable."

"Currently."

Hill rolled her eyes. "Don't play games with me, Phil. You guys are clearly operating off a limited budget, you don't even have the tech to make your planes disappear, there's no way you can repair and retrofit a gutted defunct helicarrier."

"Never said we could."

Hill sighed. "Phil, I'm tired. I had to handle three global crises today and Tony's sudden interest in weather satellites. I don't want to play games right now. You have a helicarrier. You don't have the means to use it. I do."

"Really?" Coulson frowned. "I can't think what Stark would let you use it for."

Hill gave no reaction, but her jaw seemed just a bit more set.

"I mean, he's still got you using helicopters." Coulson shrugged. "Apaches and Cougars are nice, but they're not exactly Quinjets, much less helicarriers."

"Is that from Zambia?" Hill raised an eyebrow. "Stark Securities started four months ago. You honestly expect us to have Quinjets for everyone already, Phil?

"I expect you to have guns." Coulson said. "Seriously, M-16s? When do they plan on issuing the repulsor rays? Or the chitauri blasters? The Icers?" He frowned. "You gotta have Icers, Maria. Even Cybertek had Icers."

"As I said." Hill answered. "Equipment allocation is..."

"Maria, I thought you said you didn't want to play games." Coulson shook his head. "There's no equipment allocation. As far as Stark's concerned, it's just him, Banner, Rhodey and an army of security guards. My rag-tag fugitive team may have a budget half the size—"

A snort. "More like a hundredth the size."

Coulson stopped. "You don't know what Fury left. It's probably closer to a tenth."

"You don't know Stark's cash flow. Trust me, it's a hundredth."

"My POINT is..." Coulson waved the issue aside. "...whatever the difference in resources, your boss seems to invest all his billions in three people. Maybe even one."

Hill said nothing.

"There was only ever one person sent to Dharma base." Coulson held up a finger. "Same thing with The Treehouse. Both had a response time way disproportionate to what the local Stark Towers should have been able to field." He studied Hill squarely. "Because in both cases, Iron Man had to come in from half a world away to see Fury's latest toybox."

Still nothing from Hill. Koenig wasn't looking at his boss, but his eyes were very large.

"Of course, you knew that." Coulson shrugged. "That's why you waited so long to tell him. And didn't bother alerting the South Pacific Navy or Devils Tower Park officials. You didn't want them to catch us." Coulson faced the screen squarely. "Because whatever you say, you don't believe in your boss."

"He's a superhero."

"See, that's my line." Coulson said, holding up a finger. "I'm the idealist who believes one man can change the entire world. You're the pragmatist. You're the one who told me to sign up with Stark—not because of who he was..." Coulson made a face, "...but because you thought I'd never make a difference on my own."

"I still think that." Hill said.

"Really? Because right now I'm doing more than you are."

Hill arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"When's the last time you were out of the office, Hill?" Coulson asked. "You're a damn good agent. Even Talbot had the sense to bring you along on operations. But Stark hasn't had you run a single mission. You've become a glorified secretary."

Hill's jaw had an angry set. "And when was the last time you did field work, 'Director' Coulson?"

"C'mon Hill." Coulson said. "We'd been following that hotbed in Zambia for months, and we had a covert plan in place to track down Hydra contacts and keep Wakanda under discreet observation. Stark learned about it at the last second, and he set up a giant obvious watchtower."

"Your point?"

"My point is that you're better than that. Intel's your name, shadow warfare's your game. You're not the type to paint a target on your base of operations. That wasn't your idea. That was the idea that Stark overruled yours for." Coulson shook his head.

Hill's jaw tensed. Her eyes narrowed. But she did not touch her computer.

"You're too smart for this, Hill." Coulson pleaded. "You've got to see the problem with fighting a shadow war with searchlights."

"It does get rid of the shadows."

"No. Some of them, it just makes darker."

"Sir?"

"Hey. Hill, come in." Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, turned from the massive casing he was working on, lollipop dangling from his mouth. "Any updates on the Zambia tower?"

"Construction's proceeding well, plenty of support from local authorities." Hill cast a curious eye over the vast red-gold mechanism. "Sir, if I may ask..."

"Oh. Right." Tony turned and gestured with his lollipop. "Mary meet Ronny. Ronny meet Mary. You two girls get along."

"Sorry?"

"Veronica." Banner's head, somewhat grimy, poked itself out of a random hole in the device. "The latest in Anti-Hulk technology."

"The latest in Hulk-Suppression technology." Tony wagged a finger at his colleague. He turned back to Hill. "Veronica Mach 2, actually, we're planning to have four of these girls in orbit, so one can always be launched to whatever point the Hulk happens to be at."

"These are satellites?" Hill asked. Her voice had a note of approval. "Way to diversify, boss. Spy satellites, or..."

"Why would I want spy satellites?" Tony threw her look. "I'll hack the NSA if I want French Riviera close-ups." He shook his head. "This is going to be a massive suit of armor in orbit that I can call on anytime."

"Anytime the Hulk is ripping stuff up." Banner poked his head out again.

"Right, right."

Hill took a breath and let it go. "Speaking of armor, sir." She said. "I'd like to talk with you again about the Iron Legion concept..."

"Right. Iron Legion." Stark snapped his fingers at her. "Great idea. Glad you brought it up. Actually was meaning to talk about that with you."

Hill halted, surprised. "That's... good to hear, sir." She said. "I was under the impression you were still opposed to the idea."

"Not to the idea. Just the way you presented it." Tony tossed his lollipop into the trash and, draping an arm over Hill's shoulders, began to lead her into an adjoining laboratory. "You really need to work on your pitches, you would never have made it in sales."

"I'll... work on that, sir." Hill shrugged out a little from under Stark's arm and pulled her phone from her jacket. "I had done some preliminary work on the project in case you changed your mind. I think the Mach 5 armor would work best, though Mach 3 would still be within acceptable limits." She slid to a new list. "I also have a list of thirty suitable candidates for you to choose the six operatives from, I was thinking one agent per continent would be an acceptable proofing stage for the concept..."

"Hill." Stark shook his head. "Seriously. Sales. Anyway, not to worry, you don't have to deal with any of that. Look!"

Taking his arm off her shoulders, Tony snapped his fingers and the room flooded with light, presenting a fully functional mini-factory, complete with parts and material, already in the process of constructing...

...a drone.

"New, revamped, Iron Legion concept!" Tony spread his hands, as if describing a Da Vinci painting. "About the same level as my Mach 2 armor, but you can fit so much more in there when it's not around a person. AI's still a little..." He waggled his hand, "...but I've got it slaved to JARVIS, so it can help out with crowd control and..."

"A drone." Hill said.

"Right?" Stark grinned at her. "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It's basically the House Party protocol, cut down to essentials. Increases efficiency, provides more room for..."

"Sir... impressive as this is, it still seems limited compared to the initial concept." Hill said. "Individual agents deployed worldwide could lend your forces necessary support in..."

"Okay, so this is like that, but better." Tony held up a finger. "See, with a robot, there's no injury, no death, no security risk. They can be blown up and rebuilt in hours. Better in every possible way."

"I see, sir." Hill nodded. "And when will we be replacing you with a robot?"

Stark stopped and looked at her. "Something wrong, Hill?"

"Nothing, boss." Hill shook her head. "So these will be deployed at the other towers?"

"No, just here." Tony said. "Jarvis can only employ four at maximum effectiveness. They'll come out with me and Rhodey on ops as backup."

Hill nodded. "I see. So, in fact, this has absolutely nothing in common with my initial 'Iron Legion' proposal."

Tony shrugged. "It's got the name." He patted her on the shoulder. "Good idea, Hill. Just needed a bit of the Stark touch. Anything else?"

"Yes." Hill passed him her tablet. "General Talbot, on your report on the most recent base we captured."

"Right... The Bathtub, or the Jacuzzi, or..."

"The Hottub, sir." Hill reminded him.

"Right!" Stark snapped his fingers. "That rogue SHIELD cell that he's always complaining about. He happy we finally caught the ringleader?"

"Not... really." Hill said. "If you'll read the report, you'll see that the General doesn't think the man we caught is the ringleader, but rather an imposter."

"Hmm." Stark nodded, glancing through the report. "Sounds like a spy-ish thing to do, all right. Still... Talbot seems stressed to me, does he seem stressed to you?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Hill considered, hesitated.

"I think the General is growing obsessive, sir." She said, confidentially. "Honestly, from his reports I can't even see that this cell is worth his—or our—time. Maybe he can't accept that it's over, or maybe he's pushing for another promotion."

"Never liked politics." Stark frowned, tossing her back the tablet. "Fine. Tell Glenn to take a chill-sicle, feed him some new guy to chase." He wandered back into the lab. "Hey, Bruce, what if we gave Ronny interchangeable hands?"

"Stark thinks you're done."

"Stark thinks I'm dead, last I heard." Coulson quirked an eyebrow.

"He's convinced we caught the ringleader of the group Talbot's been hounding him about." Hill said. "Talbot is less convinced, but in any case he's decided not to work with Stark."

"Shocker." Coulson nodded.

"For the moment, anyway, Stark thinks your organization is no longer a threat."

"We never were." Coulson spread his hands. "I'm just happy that now he agrees." He squinted at the screen. "And you, apparently."

Hill frowned at him. "I'm still not thrilled about this arrangement, Phil, but I must acknowledge the need for... subtlety, upon occasion."

"And your employer can't provide that?

There was an answering groan. "My employer's idea of subtlety is to blow up a factory." Hill answered wearily. "His idea of intel is something that you use satellites, hackers, and AI programs for. His idea of espionage is something that happens to other people."

"See, THIS is why I didn't want to work for Stark." Coulson observed.

"The world needs somebody, Phil." Hill looked at him. "And Tony understands that better than most. You saw the footage from his helmet."

"I did." Coulson nodded. "And I agree. The world needs to be ready for when they come back. I like your idea, except for the part that involves Stark."

"I thought I could handle him." Hill shook her head.

"Even Fury couldn't handle Stark." Coulson said.

"True." Hill nodded. "But he still came through for the Avengers." Her eyes grew thoughtful. "The Avengers gave Tony something to work with."

"The Avengers gave us all something to work with." Coulson agreed. "But they need all the help they can get."

"Also they're currently AWOL." Hill's expression grew frustrated.

"And that." Coulson agreed. "The world needs a shield, Hill."

"But it can't be SHIELD." Hill said. "And it can't be the Avengers."

Coulson seemed inclined to dispute this, but he let it go. "If we could somehow marry the two..." he suggested.

"The Avengers would never work for SHIELD."

"No. But SHIELD could work for the Avengers. In a support capacity. Take their name, to get back people's trust. Under Captain America's command..."

"Rogers isn't administrative material, but it's a thought." Hill nodded, eyes flitting about. "No one would agree to the idea, but if we built it up in secret, then presented it as a finished product in a suitably dramatic fashion, the UN might get behind it..."

"Always on the public relation side." Coulson said. "You would've made a great saleswoman, Maria."

Hill's expression soured suddenly. "Stark would never agree." She shook her head. "But he still has resources, and he pays shockingly little attention to them."

"Pepper..." Coulson started to say.

"I think she'll agree to this." Hill said. "I'll talk to some of the lab boys, see if they can drum up some plans for what our new support helicarrier should look like. You should see if you can vet and recruit a trustworthy crew... we're going to need a lot of new Avengers..."

"That's good." Coulson nodded, pointing at the screen. "We should call it that."

A/N: Gah, it's late, I'm tired, and I have work tomorrow. But I really want to finish this story before Season 3, so I had to get this out. A part of me would like to give a whole chapter to that last bit, but we don't have time.

Quick reminder: This chapter takes place chronologically before the last one. It was just more dramatic. This one also goes way off canon. Next chapter will be more tied into the episodes/movie, showing what SHIELD was doing during the Age of Ultron.

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